Chapter 8: The Ball
She felt so warm. The warmth made her want to continue to sleep peacefully, but things felt a little odd. Why did her hair feel wet? And why did she feel like something heavy was on her stomach?
Groggily she opened her eyes and looked up, her eyes widening when she came face-to-nose with the drooling sharpshooter. Her focus shot towards her body, where his leg had bent upwards so his knee was laid out on top of her stomach and his lower leg was sprawled out over her legs.
This was not how she was used to waking up.
She watched in horror as a stream of drool slid down his chin and onto the hair she had spent so much time washing not even twenty four hours ago.
There was saliva in her hair.
"EW! Get off of me you pig!" Nami roughly smashed her hands into his chest and kicked his leg off of her as she attempted to pry herself away from his hold on her. His eyes flew open as he yelped in pain and looked around in confusion until he found himself being met with a glare by the navigator. The pain subsided and he took a deep breath.
He should have expected this.
"Okay, first of all-"
"There is no first of all!" she snapped before grabbing a pillow and slamming it against his face. "I already told you that if you wanted to drool you do it on your side of the bed! Does my hair look like a pillow to you?! You're so gross Usopp, I swear to God!" With a huff she stomped over to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Within seconds the sound of running water could be heard and the ceiling vent was turned on.
Usopp stuck his tongue out and then laid back down on the bed, his eyes focused on the ceiling. Honestly, it could have gone much worse, considering they woke up practically in each others arms after Nami's emotional moment in the middle of the night. He'd been expecting at least to be called a pervert and smacked around, and while such a reaction from Nami would have been normal he was quite glad she hadn't.
He may have peeked at Nami and Vivi while they were in the bath at Alabasta, but that was because everybody else was doing it and he felt like joining along. And of course, there was the time when he'd seen Nami naked again in the bath at Thriller Bark, but he'd only run in because she'd yelled and he wanted to check on her.
Usopp wasn't entirely innocent when it came to perversion, but he wasn't a major pervert like Brook and Sanji, and he would never take advantage of Nami, especially when she'd needed him.
And he believed that she knew that, and was only flustered and embarrassed by her display from last night and their awkward waking situation, which was why he had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from smirking when she came out of the bathroom with dripping wet hair and continued to insult his sleeping habits and his saliva.
Well, at least the morning hadn't started off dull.
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The hotel had a dining room that served breakfast every morning from six to ten, and luckily the two Straw Hats had managed to wake right before the dining room closed.
After Nami's little rant about disgusting behavior and proper sleeping for about five minutes straight, she calmed down and then declared they eat breakfast before she went shopping, a suggestion that had Usopp nearly running out of the room to not only satisfy his stomach, but to also get away from Nami in case she decided to lecture him some more.
The ride down was silent, but thankfully a lot of the tension had evaporated, and by the time they both arrived at the entrance to the dining room the scenes from earlier in the morning were practically forgotten.
Several circular tables covered in white table cloths were scattered across a large room with a lengthy buffet table standing directly in the center. Smells of meat, hot syrup, and freshly brewed coffee infiltrated the air, making pools of drool gather up in Usopp's mouth. His stomach rumbled, and he immediately walked over to the buffet and swiped up two plates.
Nami followed behind, grabbing only one plate, but she barely filled it up, unlike Usopp, who had every inch of his dishware completely covered. They sat at a table in the furthest corner of the room, returning to the front only once for coffee and orange juice before finally taking a seat across from each other.
The navigator poked wearily at her food, lips twisted and eyebrows furrowed as pieces of the dream kept replaying over and over again in her mind. She knew it was just a dream and it shouldn't bother her, but the sight of Belle-Mere's blood and the terror she'd felt had just seemed so real. She shook her head, took a deep breath and forced herself to eat.
She'd get over it. This wasn't the first nightmare she'd had over her mother's death, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Besides, she wasn't going through it alone this time.
Her eyes looked up at Usopp, who was chugging down all the food like a man who had only eaten fruit his entire life and was experiencing the pleasures of meat for the first time.
She smirked. "So, you excited to go shopping with me today?"
As he nearly choked on his pancake, Nami burst out laughing and leaned back so she could comfortably cross one leg over the other as she draped an arm over the back of her chair. "Calm down, I'm not making you go. Besides..." she lifted her pointer finger up and placed it at the corner of her mouth, "I want the dress to be a surprise."
Usopp groaned and set his silverware down next to his plate. "Why do you care what I think about the damn dress? We're not a couple, and you'll probably just be going there to drink anyways."
She wagged her finger. "Hey now, we're simply going there for a good time; the booze is just a bonus. Besides, we don't have anything else better to do, and acting like a couple might just be a great idea. We'll be undercover."
He raised an eyebrow and tried to ignore the nervous feeling in his stomach. "Are we spying on somebody?"
"Not really, but it might be nice for once to just fit in with everybody and have a good time. I mean, how often do we actually get to go out and have a normal evening without Luffy or somebody else creating a scene? Anyways, I have a strange feeling that we should be there for some reason, but we won't find out unless we go, right?"
She had a point. He also felt there was something they needed to know, but that didn't increase his excitement about the event. Waltzing wasn't something he really knew how to do, and acting like Nami's boyfriend didn't seem that great either. He sighed, and tried to ignore her victorious grin.
He really didn't have much of a choice.
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When breakfast was finished, they parted ways so Nami could once again go shopping and Usopp could go do whatever he felt like doing. Before she'd taken off, Nami had handed him a small pouch of money with an innocent smile, claiming that she would just add whatever he'd spend to his debt later, which he had accepted with a grumble.
Both agreed that they would meet back at the hotel later around five so they could get ready for the dance, and until then they would be free to wander around the town. Right away Usopp knew exactly where he wanted to go first.
While they were both looking for a place to eat dinner at yesterday, he had seen a shop sign that read "An Inventor's Dream". He truly hoped that maybe it was a place that sold materials he could use to create a weapon of some sort for himself. After all, like every other industrial island they'd come across, Marines were constantly on alert and supervising the city in case a wanted pirate such as himself were to be spotted. Luckily, this island didn't seem too overrun with the blasted armed force, probably due to the fact that the city was located in the middle of a dangerous forest, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.
He navigated back to the shop with ease, weaving in and out of the crowds that seemed impossibly thicker than the day before. He supposed that a large part of that was due to the ball, which he honestly couldn't wait to be over. Dancing around in a suit was not his thing, and if it wasn't for Nami forcing him to go he'd probably just remain in the hotel room and maybe even go for a swim in the indoor pool he'd discovered while looking at a guide book in their hotel room.
When Usopp entered the shop, a small bell went off to signal the arrival of a customer. Nobody seemed to be paying him much attention though, so he made his way down the first aisle and looked for some sort of material he could use to make a decent slingshot.
Eventually he was able to locate the items he needed and checked out. The owner of the shop was an older man in his fifties with a thick white mustache and circular red rimmed glasses. He was an amusing man who raved about all the inventions he created when he was younger, and if it wasn't the for the muscular, scarred man behind Usopp clearing his throat in impatience, then the older man probably would've kept talking for at least another hour or two.
He couldn't recall the last time he'd left a shop so fast.
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She was beginning to get a little frustrated.
For almost two hours she had wandered from store to store, searching for at least a decent looking dress that wouldn't cost her an arm and a leg to buy, regardless of the fact that she could take more money along the way, but she preferred to keep that to a minimum because suspicion would eventually rise. She wasn't the only one dress shopping either. Several girls her age were also looking for their perfect dress, which meant long waits to use the dressing room, and frankly she wasn't a very patient person.
It was already afternoon and she was growing more and more irritated with the fact that she not only didn't have a nice dress, but the crowds were growing, making walking to each store a time-consuming matter. To try and calm herself down she stopped at a small cafe for a sandwich and some much needed caffeine before she decided to try once again.
Nami never, ever came back empty-handed from shopping, especially when she had a mission to fulfill.
She would get a dress and suit, one way or another.
Unfortunately, by the time the clock chimed three times she still didn't have a dress, and she was beginning to feel a little pressured. Surely there was at least one store in this large city that had something for her to wear to the damn ball! She was practically stomping down the street and bulldozing anybody who got in her way, not even bothering to apologize for the bumps and foot-stepping she did.
She was turning a corner when she came across another clothing store. She wasn't even going to bother to get her hopes up this time, so she trudged up the store steps and entered the shop, expecting to once again be disappointed.
It was then that her eyes fell across an absolutely stunning dress, and she knew right away that she had to have it. Luckily, the price wasn't too high, and she managed to even find a nice suit and a shirt that matched the color of the dress perfectly.
Her face broke into a grin when she tried the dress on and saw how lovely she looked in it. It complimented her shape rather nicely, and she knew that with the right hair style and make up she would look even more drop-dead gorgeous than usual.
She left the store with a satisfied smile, anxious to see the priceless look on Usopp's face when he saw her.
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When Nami opened the door to their hotel room, she was surprised to see him sitting at the desk wearing his goggles and working feverishly on something. She raised an eyebrow before she set the bags on the bed and she walked over to get a better look at what he was doing.
"So what are you up to, huh?" she asked as she curiously peeked over his shoulder.
He looked up proudly with a grin and lifted his goggles up as he showed off the beginnings of a slingshot that seemed even thicker and twice the length than the one he had previously owned. "What do you think? This is going to be even more powerful that my original weapon. Never hurts to be ready in case those bastards attack!"
"Well, that's great! Hope you're keeping count of all the money you're spending!" She ignored his eye roll and grabbed one of the bags she'd brought in, which she then tossed at him.
It hit him right in the nose.
The sharpshooter grunted before opening the bag and peeking inside. "That's what you'll be wearing tonight. You get changed out here while I get dressed in the bathroom. And if you have to use the restroom then you better do so now because it'll be a bit before I come out," she advised as she grabbed the bag containing her dress, along with a couple other smaller ones.
Usopp set his goggles down and began to stand up. "Now that you mention it, I do-"
"Great! I'll go get ready!" Nami cheerfully announced before prancing into the bathroom and closing the door firmly behind her with a click.
He growled. "I do have to go! Dammit Nami!"
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Almost an hour had passed.
Usopp had decided to just use one of the hotel's bathrooms while he impatiently waited for Nami to get out of their restroom. He had no idea what she was doing that took such a ridiculous amount of time, but he was thankful that he didn't have to go through so much trouble just for the sake of appearance. The ebony suit and red shirt hadn't been a challenge at all to put on, and when he noticed a small hair tie in his bag he decided that Nami probably wanted him to pull his hair back, which he did. The hair tie blended in with his hair, just like the belt he was being forced to wear was almost unnoticeable against his pants, save for the gold belt buckle.
[Night at the Museum- Teddy Likes Sacagawea 0:09-1:24]
As he looked in the mirror, he had to admit that he did look pretty good. "But of course I do," he whispered to himself, "for I am the Great Captain Usopp!" He was so busy admiring his appearance that he didn't hear the bathroom door opening.
"Is that what you think?"
" Of course I d-" His eyes fell on her, and for a moment he almost forgot to speak.
Like his shirt, her dress was a beautiful shade of red. Her cream colored shoulders and neck were bare of straps; the top of the dress covered her bust and was decorated with swirling vines of silver that encircled around her chest and etched down the front of the bodice. The gown flowed beneath her, bustled in layers that were held together by small, sparkling silver gems, and her hair had been curled and pinned into a bun, with the curls popping outward in thick strands.
Usopp felt like an idiot because he couldn't say anything; only stare at her. He had seen her dressed up before, but for some reason, at the moment, she looked like a radiant goddess to him. He felt his cheeks heating up, and he had to force himself to look away from her before he managed to appear even stupider. "W-well, you look nice," was all he could manage to stammer out, and he knew he probably sounded really foolish.
Nami smiled, secretly pleased with his reaction. Next time he claimed she was unattractive, she would point this moment out to him and continually gloat about it. For now though, she would push that aside and take his compliment. "Why thank you! You don't look too bad yourself," she responded with a wink. And honestly, she meant it. He looked rather nice in a suit, especially in a black one, and she was glad she had thrown the hair tie in as well. He didn't look terrible with his curly hair loose, but having his curls pulled back gave him a gentlemanly look, and it suited him rather nicely.
She frowned though as she studied him. Something was missing.
"Oh, your tie!" she exclaimed. "You need to wear it!"
"Do I really? I can't even put one on. Those things are demonic!"
"Oh, stop being a baby. Here, I'll put it on." Nami reached into one of the bags and pulled out a scarlet red tie. "Now stay still," she commanded as she walked towards him and lifted her hands up to wrap it around the back of his neck. They stood close, neither of them saying a word as she finished securing the tie. She gave the fabric a firm pat and then backed away, placing her hands on her hips.
"There ya go! Looking good!"
He lifted his nose up proudly. "Well of course, for I am the Great Capta-"
"Save it. Now let's get going."
[+]
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They stood in front of the hotel, stomachs full and heads held high in anticipation. They'd eaten a quick dinner before leaving, as the dining room also luckily served a nice dinner buffet as well. They hadn't been the only ones there dressed up for the ball, and had received many nods of approval from the other people planning to attend.
[RomeoXJuliet- Fureai]
Now, with stomachs full and heads held high, they were ready to enjoy their evening. Usopp looked around and saw couples walking around with their arms linked, and he decided that maybe he could play gentleman for one evening. He held out his arm, and Nami looked at it surprised before smiling and deciding to go along with it. She linked her arm with his and laid her hand on his forearm.
They proceeded forward and tried to avoid stepping on any dresses or fancy shoes that were currently swarming the streets. Couples of all ages walked together, gossiping about their host and what events could possibly be planned this year.
"Ah, do we get to ride in those?!" Usopp asked in excitement as he gestured towards the strange bubble vehicles he'd seen when they arrived into town. All four sides of the tower were nearly covered by the rising and falling of bubbles, each filled with a couple that was making their up to the balcony and into the tower where the ball was.
"That would be my guess," Nami responded with a shrug as they stood in line for a lift. "I don't see why they don't have the dance at the bottom of the tower. You'd think loading all these people would take a while."
"Seems like they are making quick progress though," the sharpshooter pointed out. It was true. They only had to wait a couple minutes before it was their turn to board the bubble machine. Slowly, the vehicle rose, and the two pirates couldn't help but look through the transparent sides in awe as they were lifted higher and higher until they could see almost the entire city before them and all of its beautiful night lights.
When they arrived at the balcony, a side of the bubble slid open to allow them to exit. Nami once again took Usopp's arm as they carefully stepped on to the balcony and looked up an arc looming before them. Four guardsmen stood facing each other on both sides of the arc, bowing in respect as the pair walked down a red carpet and towards a large opening beneath the arc. The sound of music and laughter floated from beneath it, and only grew louder as the pair walked into the building down a hallway that had paintings and suits of armor placed evenly along the pale purple walls.
They at last reached the end of the hall and entered the room in front of them, eyes widening in awe at the sight before them.
Chandeliers of pure crystal hung down from a vaulted ceiling, radiating light through the room. An enormous dance floor that shone of bright white tiles was covered by couples already dancing to beautifully orchestrated music in the style of a traditional waltz. In the back center of the room were some small stairs leading up to a little landing with a chair of red velvet perched right in the middle of it. It was empty at the moment, but it was to be assumed that their host would eventually be taking her place there.
The music slowed down to a stop, and earned applause from all who had partaken in the dance. Another song began to play, and before Usopp could say a word Nami had pulled him towards the dance floor.
"Nami, I can't dance! I'm going to look stupid!"
"No you won't," the Navigator countered with a chuckle. "Follow my lead. Keep your eyes on me, okay?"
She took his right hand and placed it around her waist, settling her left hand on his shoulder. Then she linked their other hands together, and she raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him. "Are you ready?"
He swallowed. "No."
Uncaring about his response, Nami walked forward and stepped on his foot. He yelped a little when her heeled shoe pressed against his toes, but the pain was short-lived when she stepped off with a huff. "You need to move your feet. Try again."
This time when she moved, Usopp was prepared and moved backwards. She smiled in approval, and soon they were gliding around in a circle.
"Ah-ha! I'm doing it!" he triumphantly proclaimed. "Of course, I knew I already had the talent to do so."
Nami giggled. "Yeah, whatever you say." They shared a laugh, and then their eyes met.
The waltz ended, and slower music began to play. Their bodies came to a halt as brown eyes stared into black ones, and the people and all sounds except for the music melted into complete nothingness. Suddenly, it was just the two of them.
Usopp's lips parted slightly as he focused on her, his heart pounding in his chest when she let go of his hand and lowered it so that both of his hands were wrapped around her waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders without breaking eye contact, her eyes looking at him gently and a small small carved against her lips. Their bodies began to sway from side to side as they moved in a slow circular motion. Their chests were nearly pressed against each other as they drew closer and closer to the other; his hands secured their hold on her waist and her hands raised themselves up until her hands were laying on top of each other on the back of his neck.
Usopp felt his stomach twist around. He didn't understand what was happening to them and why Nami was looking at him like she was in a trance. She was his best friend next to Luffy, although he had never admitted such a fact to anybody, and something told him that the feeling was probably mutual. She had confided in him about everything, from how she felt weak compared to the other crew members, to the depression and nightmares she faced about her mother's death. They understood each other better than anybody else, and as sharpshooter and navigator stood dancing in each others arms, he felt his lips break out into a grin without a clue as to why.
"Something amuse you?" Her lips thinned as though she was trying not to smile as well.
Usopp smirked. "Just wondering how much you were planning to charge me for this, is all."
Her eyes narrowed as her brows lowered, and she gave a devilish smile. "You're a terrible liar."
[+]
Before he could even ask what she meant the music ended and she stepped out of his arms, the moment suddenly ending. He watched as she walked off the dance floor and disappeared in a crowd of dresses and suits, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the floor.
Was she expecting him to follow her, or was she actually upset with him about something? Was he really just an awful dancer? Maybe he had unknowingly stepped on her feet and ruined her shoes? He shook his head; she would've created a scene if something like that were to happen. He decided that nothing would get answered by him just standing there, so he followed after her.
She was standing at one of the tables with a wine glass in her hand, and already surrounded by two men trying to get her attention. They were both handsome, but she seemed uninterested. She grabbed another wine glass when she saw Usopp approaching and held it out to him, which he gratefully took. The men sent disbelieving stares towards him before they wished Nami a good evening and walked off.
"Creeps," she muttered before taking a sip of the ruby colored liquid. Usopp sighed and also took a sip, thankful he had managed to avoid unnecessary competition for her affections. He was by no means planning to claim her as his, but he wouldn't have felt comfortable with his closest friend leaving him alone at a dance while she walked off with two strange men that probably wouldn't have thought twice about kicking his ass.
He raised the glass to his lips and took an even longer sip.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" a masculine voice suddenly boomed out, capturing everybody's attention and drawng it towards the small set of stairs. A muscular man with light brown skin and short black hair that fell in diagonal bangs across his forehead stood in a white suit with a mic stand placed in front of him. "Please welcome the woman who made this evening possible, the lovely Lady Margaret!"
As the room burst into applause a thin woman with long golden curls that hung down to the small of her back stepped forward in a shimmering violet dress complete with two thin strips over her shoulders. It was a simple dress but she looked gorgeous, especially when her scarlet lips formed into a smile and her hazel eyes twinkled beneath thick lashes. She blew a kiss, which earned sighs from several men in attendance, and gracefully walked up to her chair, where she turned around and placed a pale finger against her lips. Like magic, the room instantly turned silent.
"Thank you all for attending my ball this evening," her voice announced in a sweet tone. " We haven't had an evening of enjoyment in a while, so I'm grateful to all of you for coming. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." Applause once more erupted, and then the music continued as she sat down in her chair.
Nami took a gulp of her drink and set the empty glass back on the table. She pursed her lips together. "I don't like this woman. She seems almost...threatening."
Usopp gulped and almost spilled his wine. "You-you think so?"
"Yes, I do." She frowned and then looked towards the closest hallway to them, as if she was in deep thought. "It's kind of hot in here, and there's too many people. Want to join me for some fresh air?"
The sharpshooter chugged down the rest of the wine and placed his glass next to hers. He agreed that the temperature felt even higher than before, and the fact that they could barely walk two feet without bumping into somebody just made the room feel even smaller. "Sure, why not?"
To prevent separation, they linked arms and made their way through the noisy crowd until they reached one of the hallways and exited safely out onto the balcony. There were several couples enjoying the view, and some of the attendees were smoking cigars or cigarettes.
"So much for fresh air," Usopp muttered as he rolled his eyes. Nami smirked and they walked into one of the balcony corners to peek down. They said nothing for a few moments, nor did their arms unlink from each other. They were two good friends enjoying the night out, but unfortunately it seemed rather hard to do with traces of smoke blowing in their face and the constant sound of chatter.
"The fireworks are going to be starting soon! I'm so excited!" A nearby woman squealed in excitement as she clung on to her date's arm. "We should find a spot before the balcony gets too crowded!
Usopp and Nami's eyes met, their expression filled with dread. "No way in hell am I staying up here with all these people," the navigator protested, and Usopp couldn't agree more. He looked out towards the forest surrounding the city, and then paused before looking up at the remaining part of the tower above them, which was still a good distance away from their current position. A smile spread across his face, earning a curious look from Nami.
"What?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
He grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her towards an empty bubble. "I've got an idea!"
As they entered the machine and descended to the ground, they were completely unaware of the glare that was burning hatefully into their backs.